Thirty Years Ago - April 1994

9^th April:

A good selection of migrants at Dagenham Chase with three Willow Warblers, Blackcap, three Sand Martins and two Little Ringed Plovers.

10^th April:

A day out west with Neil, Simon and Pete started with a dip with no Long-tailed Skua at Avonmouth or the Ring-billed Gull in Stroud but at least the Cattle Egret nearby was seen although only because we saw some birders at the side of a road viewing from a layby! [Eds: still a rare bird 30 years ago!]

Cattle Egret 

A few Swallows and a House Martin hawked over the trees and a male Sparrowhawk took an interest.

Onto to Goldcliff for the 1s Sabine’s Gull that was contentedly feeding in a wet field.  Buzzards, Ravens and Sparrowhawks were also seen before we decided to head for home. [Eds: I still marvel at where and what we went for back then just for the pleasure of a day out.]

Sabine’s Gull 

23^rd April:

Roy and I followed up a report from Connaught Water of a pair of Blue-winged Teal and we quickly found them in the marshy area along side the lake. They were wary and would not allow a close approach and would flush very easily. Whatever their origins they deserved more than a cursory glance due to the presumed escape tag attached to them.  

[Eds: Connaught always was and still is a magnet for dumped wildfowl and there is a very impressive global list for the site but it is also genuinely attractive to duck with the local lurking Mandarins, wintering Goosander which become tame and come in to feed with the Mallards, as well as occasional Smew and even a Green-winged Teal. I know in all probability that this pair were local escapees but they did not linger long and you never know…]

Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and a Nightingale sang while Red-eared Terrapins, Pochards, Mandarins and Great Crested Grebes were seen and a Kingfisher darted by.

26^th April:

Most of the day was spent around Fingringhoe searching for Kettle’s Africana race Chaffinch but to no avail but there were many migrants including countless Nightingales, both Whitethroats, Garden Warblers and four purring Turtle Doves.  Abberton was very quiet on the way home.

28^th April:

A very late first Swift of the year over Picketts lock.

Lesvos - Day 4 - 20th April 2024

  A www.blueeyedbirder.com adventure:

The weather overnight was somewhat damp with heavy steady rain from about 10:30 through to dawn. It was not windy though and our Nightingale was warming back up and greeted us for breakfast with unceasing fervour!

The rain started up again as we headed out and as we passed through Papiana I was delighted to spy a rather soggy Long-eared Owl high in a pine tree.  After the briefest of stops we carried on our way.  After a supermarket run I momentarily dithered before deciding that a blat out West to Sigri and Faneromeni mat be the best course of action given the squally weather.

Long-eared Owl - Jim Willet

The newly opened road gave us a smooth forty minute run and even as we drove down along the harbour edge, the first Collared and Pied Flycatchers were to be seen along with White Wagtails on their usual beach.

The wind had got up and the temperature had crashed to 9c and it was not the day to have persevered with shorts and sandals. The Sigri Oak Grove was a bit windblown but held birds and in a fantastic 15 minutes we started finding Golden Orioles which gave superb views and when they all decided to leave en masse we counted 15 birds which headed towards the coast and the new olive groves. 

Golden Oriole - Jim Willett

Golden Oriole - Antony Wren

Blackcap and Lesser Whitethroats were new and Redstart, Pied, Spotted and Collared Flycatchers were seen but were keeping low. A Green Sandpiper was a new wader for the list and up above we found Short-toed Eagles, an Osprey and four incoming Red-footed Falcons. The next big field along held several hundred flava Wagtails as well as a Starling and Andrew saw a Chukar too.

On again to Faneromeni where a tough but good walk was had in very poor and deteriorating weather but the rewards out shone the discomfort and numb extremities with at least another 15 Golden Orioles, some of which posed very nicely, a host of extra Flycatchers, Turtle Doves, five Hoopoes in one bare area in the Fig groves, 50 disappearing Bee-eaters, Blackcap and a Thrush Nightingale that sung for long enough for us all to hear the expected notes. It was just too far back for us to have a chance of seeing it but I was very pleased to have found such a special bird. Two more Ospreys drifted through as well as another Red-foot, male Lesser Kestrel and a magnificent male Montagu’s Harrier that I suspect was bird of the day for several people.

Golden Oriole 

Montagu’s Harrier - Andrew Litchfield

Montagu’s Harrier - Jim Willett

Montagu’s Harrier - Jim Willett

Black-capped Jay - Antony Wren

pair of Collared Flycatchers - Antony Wren

Collared Flycatcher - Jim Willett

Collared Flycatcher and Roman Nettles - Jim Willett

 Black-headed and Romanian Blue Headed Wagtail - Jim Willett

Black and Yellow Millipede - Antony Wren

Asphodel  - Antony Wren

The next olive grove up was heaving with flava Wagtails as they fed around the sheep and we found Syke’s, Romanian Blue, Grey and Black-headed amongst them. By now we were truly frozen and chilled to the core and requested a pick up in the van before bits started to drop off.

Lunch was taken on the beach whilst sheltering in the bus but it did give us the chance to get excellent views of hundreds of close in Yelkouan Shearwaters and several long winged Scopoli’s. We were just too cold and wet to stay any longer and headed back over the top in squally conditions but at least we were warm once again.

Yelkouan Shearwaters - seriously rough - Antony Wren

Coffee and a de-frost was called for before heading out again at 4pm. At the Tsiknias we walked down to the river mouth which gave us much closer views of two Spur-winged Lapwings along with six Common Sandpipers, four Little Ringed Plover, three Ringed Plover, two Kentish Plover and two Temminck’s Stints. An sub-adult Little Gull was dipping up and down and there were lots of Common Terns on the sand bar.

Little Gull - Andrew Litchfield

Little Gull - Jim Willett

Little Gull - Jim Willett

Common Sandpiper - ACV

We rarely see female Blackbirds out here - ACV

Spur-winged Plover & Common Sandpiper - Jim Willett

Common Terns & a single Sandwich Tern at the bottom - Jim Willett

Common Tern - Jim Willett

The rest of the bump through was also productive with two awesome fields of mainly flava Wagtails both of which contained all four races once again along with several smart Red-throated Pipits and Northern Wheatears. The three Gull-billed Terns were on the now flooded hidden pool and Curlew Sandpipers were with Ruff.  The Stone Curlew and Spur Winged Plover were while two female Montagu’s and the juvenile male Hen Harrier were quartering. A cracking female Red-footed Falcon headed north but did not linger.

Romanian Blue-headed Wagtail - Jim Willett

Syke's Wagtail

Common Starling

Four female Red-backed Shrikes were in a short stretch of track and there had obviously been an arrival of Whinchats too which were dotted about like masked orange jewels.

Swallow - Andrew Litchfield

Whinchat - Jim Willett

Swallows enjoying the wind - Antony Wren

Curly Wurly - ACV

A final session at hide three showed a good Tringa flock on the now mostly submerged island with over 30 Greenshank and 12 Spotted Redshanks dozing away with five Garganey – four male and a female – snuggled amongst them. A 2^nd cy Little Gull was feeding to and fro across the closest pan and the Flamingos seemed brighter today.

Greater Flamingo  - Jim Willett

All facing the wind - Jim Willett

A scan further back produced a flock of Terns patrolling the furthest pan as is often the case and five White-winged Blacks were clearly visible as well as four smoky Blacks – the scarcest of the Marsh Terns here. The three Gull-billed Terns had also relocated that way and a couple of flocks of Little Terns were seen arriving. Antony had a Pelican drop in out of nowhere but it was lost immediately and as dinner unfortunately beckoned we called in a night after the coldest, wettest but one of the most intense days I have had on the island. Migration at its best.

Lesvos – Day 3 – 19th April 2024

 A www.blueeyedbirder.com adventure:

Go West! Breakfast at the Pela was enlivened by the never ending Nightingale, noisy Spanish Sparrows and a fly through Hoopoe before we started to wend our way along the coast. Our first proper stop was on the outskirts of Agra where the low cloud swirled around the craggy slopes but did not prevent the birds from putting on a superb show. Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s were easily picked up on the boulders along with Blue Rock Thrushes in full display, Rock Sparrows, Western Rock Nuthatches, and fizzy Eastern Black-eared Wheatears and the cool flat light made viewing excellent.

Spanish Sparrow - Andrew Litchfield

We were just below the cloud

Blue Rock Thrush & Cinereous Bunting - Jim Willett

Blue Rock Thrush - Jim Willett

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear - Jim Willett

Several Tree Pipits had been brought down by the cloud and our first Stonechats were also found. Eastern Subalpine Warblers and Cirl Buntings were on the slope below us and beyond that we could hear Golden Oriole and Hoopoe in the Oaks further down while Ravens kronked overhead. Not a bad start at all.

On again and onto the Eresos to Sigri track. The usual Buntings and Wheatears were seen on the way up to the Oak Tree of Happiness where female Pied Flycatcher was noted and then over the cattle grid to the saddle above the two valleys where skinny local race Northern Wheatears jostled with feisty Isabelline and scatty Eastern Black-eareds.

Isabelline Wheatear - Jim Willett

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear - Jim Willett

Woodlark - Andrew Litchfield

A Common Kestrel was hunting close by and Common Buzzards and a fine pale Long-legged Buzzard were found along with Peregrine and three Alpine Swifts. We bumped down towards the bottom passing Rock Sparrows on the way and found more around the little farm stead where they were utilising a Rock Nuthatch nest. A male Collared Flycatcher was up on the telegraph wires with several Whinchats and Buntings and a male Eastern Subalpine Warbler put on a magnificent show for us.

Rock Sparrow - Antony Wren

Whinchat - Andrew Litchfield

Whinchat - Andrew Litchfield

Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Jim Willett

Amongst the other Buntings singing I thought I could hear a Black-headed and was very pleased to find the first of several as we headed further down the valley. This was a species I was slightly worried about us not connecting with due to the early dates of this week. More Whinchats, Stonechats and a couple of showy Eastern Orphean Warblers were seen.

Black-headed Bunting - Andrew Litchfield

Down at the Pear Trees of Happiness we found two Wood Warblers on show while another male Black-headed Bunting watched on and Bee-eaters circled above.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear - ACV

Lunch at the fig grove added Sombre Tit and several more Pied and Collared Flycatchers and some showy Orbed-underwing Skippers, Black-veined Whites and Bath Whites. Snake Eyed Lacertids scurried around our feet.

Collared Flycatcher - Jim Willett

Small Skipper - Jim Willett

Western Lesvos Bush-cricket - Jim Willett

Chequered Scorpion - minus sting - Jim Willett

Orbed Underwing Skipper - Antony Wren

Orbed Underwing Skipper 

Small Copper

Holy Orchid - Antony Wren

Labyrinth Spider - Antony Wren

Stone Huntsman - Eusparassus walckenaer - Antony Wren

Synema globosum - Antony Wren

Meladia was bird free but from here we could see Yelkouan Shearwaters passing offshore and a little further along I found two Pallid Swifts and the hoped for Little Owl on one of the usual farmstead posts. A female Citrine Wagtail flew by at eye level and briefly alighted on a wall.

 Little Owl - Antony Wren

We dropped down to the Sigri Cheese Sanatorium where Pied, Collared and Spotted Flycatchers were in the Almond orchard and along the ridge line there were 17 Lesser Kestrel, both Common and Long-legged Buzzards and several Short-toed Eagles. Onwards with the expected scenery photo stops.

 Blue Featherleg I think - Antony Wren

Small Skipper - Antony Wren

 Snake Fly - Antony Wren

Spilostethus pandurus - Antony Wren

Synaphe moldavica were abundant over the stony ground - Antony Wren

Phyllobius weevil sp - Antony Wren

Eastern Subalpine Warbler - Andrew Litchfield

Faneromeni was quiet in general but 35 Bee-eaters put on a stunning show and three parties of Turtle Dove moved through at pace. Common Redstart was a trip tick and another Peregrine was seen up over the ridge before we headed back over the top with a stop to check for Chukars at the Petrified Forest but only one was heard and drove out past the varied Wheatears and Buntings.

Woodchat - Antony Wren

Bee-eater - Andrew Litchfield

Bee-eater

Crested Lark

The new road over Ipsilou was at last completed and the bypass open past Antissa and in fact un beknown to us it the whole road from Sigri to Kalloni had been opened at lunchtime by the Greek President!

Perivoli Monastery was quiet and peaceful with just Nightingales disturbing the air and was our final stop of the journey home after a long and fruitful day. Needless to say the cats were made a fuss off.  Annoyingly House Sparrows were in my Wood Nuthatch nest hole!

House Sparrow - Andrew Litchfield

It started to rain at 10.30pm and was heavy enough to have even dampened the spirits of the otherwise indefatigable Nightingale.